In ballet, dancers move between one position and another. While the emphasis is on movement quality, each position must be precise and clean. An understanding of the mechanics and the aesthetics of the positions is necessary before you think about connecting them together in movement. In ballet, it is essential to understand the positions of the feet, the positions of the arms and the positions of the body.

Positions of the Feet

Step 1

Lean the names of the positions of the feet. These positions are the same in all ballet training methods. When you’re learning them, pay attention to the nuances. For example, in second position, it is not enough to simply put a space between your feet and turn them out. There is a precise distance between the feet.

Step 2

Check how your feet meet the floor. You should have weight on the balls of your feet and on your heels, with more weight on the front of the foot. The inner arches should be lifted and supported, not falling toward the floor.

Step 3

Verify your alignment. Your abdominal muscles should be engaged, and your pelvis should be in neutral alignment, neither tucked under nor sticking out.

Step 4

Make sure your external rotators are engaged. These muscles are underneath your gluteus maximus, near where your buttocks meet your thighs. If you are not using your rotators, your legs will not be turned out from the hip, and the inner arches of your feet will roll onto the floor.

Step 5

Work on getting to each of the positions. Ballet exercises rarely, if ever, begin in an open position, so you need to know how to get to second and fourth position. Practice the transition from one position to another.

Positions of the Arms

Step 1

Learn the names of the positions of the arms that your ballet school uses. Unlike the names for the positions of the feet, the names for the positions of the arms are not standardized. What is called first position in one ballet method is called fifth en avant in another.

Step 2

Place your arms in the position you want to work on, and check the alignment of your body. Your spine should be lengthened from the base of your tailbone to the top of your head. Your pelvis should be in neutral.

Step 3

Check your shoulders. Your shoulders should be down and open, with a feeling of energy running from the center of your chest out through your collar bones on either side of your body.

Step 4

Work with a mirror, adjusting your position until it is correct. Then, immediately turn your back to the mirror and strive to find the same sensation in your body. There are no mirrors on stage, so you have to be able to feel the positions in your body.

Step 5

Practice getting to each of the positions. In class and on stage, you can’t do a port de bras from 5th en bas through first position to second position, with pauses in each position to adjust the placement of your arms. You need to know how to move your arms precisely through the common pathways that the arms follow to get from one position to another.

Positions of the Body

Step 1

Learn the names of the positions of the body taught in your ballet school. The number of positions and their names vary among ballet methods. For example, in some schools, there are eight recognized positions of the body; in other schools, there are nine. While not specifically a part of the positions of the body, the numerous arabesques and attitudes can be approached in the same manner.

Step 2

Place yourself in the position of the body that you want to work on. Find your vertical access over the supporting leg. In every position of the body, your supporting leg forms a strong base of support that continues vertically up your body.

Step 3

Check the alignment of your pelvis, spine and shoulders. Make sure that you are turning out both legs equally.

Step 4

Verify the position of your arms. The arm position is not the same in all positions of the body.

Step 5

Add your head and eye line. In some positions of the body, your head is straight and you look directly to the front. In other positions, your head is turned or inclined, and your eye line is off to the side. The use of the head and eye line contributes strongly to the line in the positions of the body.

Step 6

Check your position in the mirror. Concentrate on the sensations in each major part of your body. Then, turn your back to the mirror and try to arrive in the same position.

Tip

It takes time to integrate the positions into your body so that you immediately recognize how they feel. To improve, practice regularly. As you’re working, it helps to have a checklist of things to ask yourself. Start from the ground up: Is the weight distributed properly over your feet? Are your knees straight? Are both legs equally turned out from the hip?

When you practice without a mirror, it can help to videotape yourself. You can more easily recognize faults, without having to check yourself in the mirror all the time.

About the Author

Kat Black is a professional writer currently completing her doctorate in musicology/ She has won several prestigious awards for her research, and has had extensive training in classical music and dance.